KTM 690 Enduro R Bash Guard/Plate - Adventure Spec

The main body protection problem with the 690R is the plastic bash plate. Its not bad if you are just flopping around in the mud but if your trails are rocky or very rough then you'll want to protect your engine with something better.

Having looked at pretty much all the alternatives, including the KTM Powerparts plate, (which the machine should come with) The Adventure Spec plate comes out tops. 

Pros

It has a flat base so you can sit the bike on a stand

It protects the oil pump better than the competition

It protects the rear brake better than the competition

It's beautifully made (look at the welds)

It is also very easy to fit and then remove for servicing. 

Cons

It makes a rather hollow sound when the engine is running unless you damp the bolts with inner tube. 

(I have now strapped a tool tube to the front of the plate and the reverb has gone) 

It's a 10min job to fit and inspires confidence when riding.
Another great piece from Adventure Spec - Thanks

Pirelli - MT21 Rallycross

Despite the fact that I asked, more maybe in hope than anything else, KTM Laguna did not supply the bike with the tyres I wanted. The bike came with the UK street option, Metzler Sahara's. Whilst these are amazing on the road and can cope with moderate tracks and trails, they are very poor on loose rocks, mud and the side walls seem soft. Oddly the KTM is supplied with the MT21's in the USA. So the MT21's arrived yesterday, they look taller than the stock and the business for the off-road. Described at a 10-90 or an 20-80 road/off-road, fitted with heavy duty tube, with tougher side walls and with a very aggressive looking knobbly tread, if they are not to loose on the hardtop, these maybe the perfect tyre. 

KTM 690 Enduro - How it rides?

Its temping to get stuck into the discussion about after-market parts, tyres, lights etc before actually looking at the basic bike as a riding experience. But lets not, just yet.

Well, its amazing, but thats not quite enough if you are about to spank close to £8000 of your quids!
Ok, it rides like a hot wind stripping a cat?, a deification on a polished shovel or other meaningless superlatives. I have read so many of these types of comments they blur into cliche'.

So really, this is how I see it. It's a tall bike that feels small and light, a friend commented on when following me on and off-road that I looked completely "at one" with the bike. This is so, its very natural and balanced, with handeling that really inspires confidence.

The lack of screen at the moment, and having no petrol tank at the front of the bike leaves you feeling a little exposed but then off road you ride it like an MX bike, shifting your weight forward and dropping you leg out in the bends. It's a totally normal action and great fun.

And fun it is, it feels like more of a toy than anything I have ever ridden.

The short gear shift criticised by some is not an issue for me, yes you do use the gears a lot more on the road but the slipper clutch works very well on the road and downshifting even at high revs is smooth and very predictable. It feels safe and very useable.

When standing and downshifting without using the clutch is smooth and easy, great when you need a spurt of power on a steep trail.

When using the Yamaha 660 or the BMW F800GS I used to stand a lot, but on the KTM I find myself sitting a lot more especially in the corners, leg out and weight forward. It is the real deal off-road where as the BMW especially, was a big bike with an off-road sticker on it.

Throttle response - Well its very quick indeed, it will hike from slow speeds to overtaking much faster than the two bikes mentioned above. I have not been brave enough to put the bike in sport mode as the "Normal"map  is more than enough at the moment, and I am still riding it under 6000rpm.

The suspension set up may take a bit of tweaking. I though I would follow the manual and set it to "standard" after a couple of days on very rocky trails the rebound seems a little harsh. The result is that the rear end skips over loose ground a little to quickly and you don't have the lovely weight and unweighting I have on my DH MTB. So I have dialled the bike (in the slow settings) to 12 clicks softening the bike. Its much better, Maybe with another few long rides it will loosen up.

So on the trails I have gone from BMW survival mode to attack. Well more like go, it feels very planted and safe. Although travelling faster if something goes wrong it will will be a faster fall.

It rails in corners, accelerates quickly, the brakes on and off-road are very good indeed. I have to say its a bit of a revelation.  I its un-farkled state the bike is very good indeed. Its not a long distant traveller but an amazing platform for the evolution.

KTM 690 Enduro R 2014 - Performance Test

So the machine has just drunk its first tank of full and surprise surprise its not close to the 80 mpg claimed by some of the bloggers , writers or KTM.

It used 10.55 Ltrs for 215km. Which is 57 Mpg.  The trails were steep rocky and often dragging away in 1st and 2nd. A pretty tough intro for the poor machine

But my riding has been typical of how I would want to use the bike ongoing 50/50, i.e. loads of time off-road and using hardtop to link the dirt sections. I also have been following the running in guidelines and have kept it below 6000 rpm (for the first 1000km)

So unladen and not run in, on typical ground and some riding above 2000m close to 60 mpg is pretty good. However on a long day out, I think the range is short without a refuel.

So what to do?  I am looking for 300km between fills minimum.

The rumour mill has long suggested that KTM will make a 690 Adventure with fairings, better lights and crucially a long range tank, but they don,t. and there is no signs they will. So best get on with what we have.

I have looked at many, if not all of the options available and though I would wait a few weeks before looking seriously at after market tanks etc.

Here are the options as I can see them.

Rally Raid UK - Front tanks adding 9.5l in total
Pros - keeps the look of the bike
Cons - very expensive and may never really need the full range provided

Rally Raid UK - Single 4.5l rear tank
Pros - Small and simple to install, would add 100km
Cons - Sits exposed on the rear of the bike - not the cheapest

Safari Tanks - Single 14L Front Tank
Pros - huge range - 26L in total
Cons - Ugly, and heavy, apparently can affect handling more than Rally Raid.

Meca System - 7l Rear Tank
Pros - looks great and a good size
Cons - Can,t find a right hand side version - unknown by UK riders

Fuel Bladders - Desert Fox 5l  - http://www.bikegear.co.za/
Pros - Super Cheap
Cons - not legal in the UK

There are quite a few hard plastic tanks, Rotopax  http://rotopax.com/  and Fuel Friend for example.  www.fuelfriend.de/

I think these are great for adding and emergency 50km but I don,t really think is a permanent solution. So I bought a Desert Fox Bladder from South Africa

 

When it arrived from South Africa, It was much wider than I thought it was going to be. Shame as it will hang very close to the hot exhaust. Not a great look. So as a full 5L option its not great but with 3L folded in half it will be stiffer and not flop onto the hot pipe, I hope. So its only a temporary solution in limited circumstances.

Time to think again...




Here are some range workings...

215 kilometres = with 10.55 litres
133.50 miles  2.32067 Uk gallons

240km with 12 litres on hard off-road.
340km with 17 litres

Metric

Liters per km

0,05

Liters per 10 km

0,5

Liters per 100 km

4,96

Kilometer per liter

20,18

U.S.

Miles per gallon

47,46

Gallons per 100 miles

2,11

British

Miles per gallon

57

Miles per litre

12,54

Gallons per 100 miles

1,7

KTM 690 Enduro R 2014 - Trigger Pulled!

This has been a long time coming. Actually about as long as an Elephants gestation, 22 months. Finally the bike has arrived. Bought from Laguna KTM in Maidstone Kent, and delivered to the Alps by Andy Hillman's van service, it dropped onto the gravel with 12km on the clock. I actually had not seen the 2014 model before I bought it but it does not disappoint.  Buying a new bike is a big commitment to say the least, buying a new model which has seen some signifiant changes adds to the risk and excitement.

The changes to the 2014 model include 

• Bosch ABS as standard. Which can be switched off using a mode button on the dash.
• A ride-by-wire throttle which gives you the choice of four different riding modes - Standard, Sport and Comfort, with a 'Bad Fuel' mode that KTM claim will allow the bike to run on fuel as low as 80 octane. 
• Apparently the different riding modes only adjust fuelling below 4,000rpm, meaning the 690 will deliver its full 67hp in whichever mode is selected.
• The engine has the new twin-spark ignition shared with the Duke, with individual maps for each plug. According to KTM it makes the bike 8-10% more efficient than the 2013 model.
• KTM or journalists writing about the bike are suggesting 80mpg, and the twin-spark is supposed to reduce vibration and give you 10,000km service intervals.

Cosmetically there are a couple of things I don,t like, the antenna like wing mirrors, the plastic bash plate and the huge number plate. 

I bought the bike with the Ergo seat and as soon as I sat on the bike I doubted the claim it is softer for longer trips. But as the dealer had omitted to send the standard seat which I also bought its hard to compare.  

For the next 1000km, before is first service I have to keep the revs below 6000rpm. 

I can't wait to get it dirty...